Drilling apparatus



Dec. 2, 1924. V1,517,880

'- LKH. WELLENSIEK DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Oct, 19, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheetl L. H. WELLEVNSEEK DRILLING APPARATUS Filed oct. 19, 1920 4sheets-sheet L. H. WELLENSIEK DRILLING APPARATUS Dec, 2, 1924. 1,517,880

Filed oct. 19, 1920 4 sheets-sheet z l @A fr Dec. 2, 1.924. 1,517,880

L. H. WELLENSIEK DRI'LLING APPARATUS Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

LoUIs H. wELLENsrEx, or HOUSTON, TEXAS;

' narrante Arrana'rus.

Application med octber 1e, 1920. serial No. 417,975.

ToaZZfwhom z'tmay concern: j

Be it known that I, LOUIS H. WELLEN- sinn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a DrillingApparatus, of whichV the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new yand useful improvements in adrillingapparatus.

One object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the characterdescribed, to be used in drilling wells where lthe formation encounteredis 'shifting andl has a tendency to cave in andv fill up'thehole. y

Another object of the invention'is to provide a drilling apparatuslcapable of handling two concentric Astrings of pipe in the hole at thesame time, the outer string 'or casing, being provided to'hold backy theshifting strata. of the earth and the inner string, or drill stem, beingprovided to drill the hole in advance of the casing, both of saidstrings being rotated through the intrumentality o f a rotary at theground surace. With the above and other objects in view,

' the invention has particular relationl to certain novel features of`construction',1opera tion and arrangement of parts, an example of whichis given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings` wherein: j

Figure l is a vertical, sectional view oi the upper half of the swivelswedge employed. f Y

Figure2 is a side view thereof. Figure 3 is, a top view of the swivelswedge. v

Fi re 4 is a vertical, sectional view of the lowerhalf of the swivelswedge.. j Figure 5 'is a sideview thereof. o Figure 6 isa viewinelevation showing s the a paratu's in osition for drilling. Re erringVto t e drawings and particularly to Fig. 6 wherein like numerals ofref-V 'erence deslgnate vsimilar parts in each of the guresthe numeral 1refers toa rotary of conventional construction,v which is mounted uponthe derrickoor 2 and which` is driven by the pinion 3, fixed onV the*inner end ofthe shaft 4, in the welll known manner. The numeral5designates the surface Ycasing whose -upper `end yis approximately iushwith the ground surface and which extends down into the bore acomparatively short distance, usually about two hundred feet. Thenumeral 6 designatesv thekdepth casing which. is 'gradually let downinto the bore as drilling progresses and which usually lextends down tothe oil-bearing strata when the well is com leted. The numeral 7designates the drlll stem, to the lower end of which the drilling toolis attachedand by means of which said drilling tool is rotated deepenthe bore. As illustrated in Figure', the` drilling tool vembodies aboring bit 18 and expansible or underreaming blades 19, so thatthe wellmay be drilled simultaneously with aj-wide' ing or underreamingoperation to,l permit the downward movement ofthe depth cas-i ing 6. I'have designed a tool adapted for this two-fold function, butV a detaileddescription thereof is omitted from the present application because the.subject matter is properly contained in a divisional application Ser.No. 596,749, filed Oct. 25, 1922.

The depth casing 6 and the drill stem y7 Y are made up of jointsnofapproximately the same-length which are connected by means of suitablecouplings. f

In drilling,` water isforced under pres-v sure down throughy thedrillstem to ythe ypoint of the bit and returns up between said stem and thedepth casing. This water car# ries away the cuttings lfrom the drillingtool'and keeps the depth casing cleansed of mud and :other detritus.VkIn order to prevent the water from returning tothe ground surface onthe outsideaof the depth casing, the casing head 11 has been provided.The casing head 11 as'indicatedfin Figure 6 is preferably provided withmeans (not shown) adapted to permit the'depth casing couplings to passthrough the casing vhead and at the same time prevent the discharge ofwater from the depth casing. A detailed description of this expansiblemember isy omitted froml the present specification, as it per seconstitutes subject matter for a divisional application Ser. No.r596,749, filed Oct; 25,` 1922. f

,l The upper j commonly designated a grief stem .inasmuch 'asthe'fgripping means,'carried bythe rotary tablefis'connected ltor-it andthe entire stem thus rotated.` "lfnpractice, this grief oint 26 of thedrill stem is stem or joint should be made somewhat longer than theother joints of the stern,

and is always connected to the top of the stem so as to thereby readilyconnect it with the pipe gripping means carried by the rotary table. Itis to be here noted that in making a well the drilling may be carried onby the usualr rotary process involving the use of a single drill stemIto which the bit is attached and which is rotated by the ordinaryrotary and the apparatus herein described is employed when formations'are encountered which are composed of quicksand or'other shifting orcaving formations, and thereafter the dept-h casing and the drill stemare rotated simultaneously and descend in unison until the treacherousvstratuml has been passed after which drilling may proceed in the usualway.

The depth casing passes through the central opening of the rotary tableand may be connected thereto, by any suitable pipegrip-ping device wellknown to those familiar with the art of drilling. As shown in Figure 6the wedge-shaped slips 12 are employed for this purpose, and the casing6 is thereby rotated as the rotary table turns.

This casing is connected to and rotates the drill stem 7 through aconnecting mechanism'shown in elevational view in Figure 6 andillustrated in detail in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive. A tubular casing 27is conneoted tothe upper end of the casing 6 by means of a coupling 28which is locked against unscrewing by means of the locking ring 29. Thisring has an internal recess to receive the collar 28, as shown in Figure4. Above said collar the ringhas the inward extensions 30 which rest innotches 31 in the swivel rswedge casing 27, and beneath the collar 28the locking ring 29 has internal pipe-engaging teeth29a which engage.with the casing 6. e Y

The swivelswedge casing is formed of upper and lower sections which areanchored together by means of set bolts 32, and the upper section isformed with a stuifing box 33', through whichV the drill Stem 7 passes,and above said stuiiing box said casing 27 is formed with upwardlyconverging wallsV forming bearing faces for the pipe-engaging jaws 33.These jaws are mounted in -the swivel swedge casing by means of thelinks 34, 34 and 35, 35, said links being pivoted at their inner endslto said jaws and working through. suitable slots 36, 36' on the pinbearings 37, 37 and 38, 38, respectively.l The purpose and operation ofthese jaws will be hereinafter more specifically set forth.

The upper end of the swivel swedgecasing 27 has opposing transversebearings 39, 39 in which the respective shafts 40, 40 rotate.

' The shafts 40 carry the pipe-engaging grip rings 41, arranged onopposite sides of the -medium ofl adjusting screws 43, 43.

the respective shafts 40 have their bearings,

in opposing jaws 42 which'may be adjusted toward and from each otherthrough the Each adjusting screw is connected at one end to one'of thejaws 42V and passes through a Y bearing in the other jaw, and threadedonto lthe free end thereof is the adjusting hand wheel 44. -By turningthese hand wheels in one direction the grlpping device may be caused toengage with the drill stem, and

when turned in the other direction may be released therefrom. e

In drilling, the rotary table is connected to the depth casing 6 and thesame is there by rotated and the rotation thereof is transyInittedthrough the swivel swedge casingV and the pipefgripping rings 41 to the`drill stem, and said depth casing and drill stem are thereby rotated inunison. The swivel swedge casing`27 has opposing connections 45 and 46for the quick attachment and removal of the hose connections 47, towhich the discharge hose may be attached, said hose being provided forconducting away the slush which is delivered up between the casing anddrill stem 7. y 'l As drilling pro resses the drill stem and depthVcasing gra ually descend and fromV time to time additional joints mustbe con-V nected to the upper ends thereof. VWhen it is i desired toconnect.Y an additional joint suitable mechanism isgprovided forsecuring the drill stem and depth easing in position while theadditionaltjoints are being attached. With the a paratus in positionthe4 additional joints o vdrilll stem and casing may be attached in anysuitable manner, as

there is always provided a hole of sufficient deth to take a joint ofthepipe and of Y su cient diameter to receive the casing.

drill stem. A joint of drill stem isv firstV picked up and lowered intothis hole by the employmentv of the apparatus kprovided forV thispurpose and common to rotaryrigs.

The grief stem 26 is next attached to this y joint of the drill stem. Itis to be here noted that the mechanism for connecting the 'drill stemwith the casing and ywhich drives :laidk stem, and which is illustratedin Figures Y1 'to5.incl usive, remains attached to the grief stem beinconnected' thereto by the j aws33.

. forexample, as follows Near the derrick The grie stern is. screwedonto.. the joint of pipe and then .both vajrepieked up' as a unit andswung in the derrick. A joint of casing [is then let down into said holeand is heldk suspended therein by the slips. The grief` stem is againelevated and together withv the joint of Vpipe attached to it is`lowered and the drill stem is connected up. The additional joint ofcasing is connected onto the depth casing and the paratus is then readyfor drilling. It is o be here noted that it is preferable to have thegrief stem approximately ten feet longer than the average joint of drillstem and to have the pressure hose through which water is forced downinto the bore of suiiicient length so that the grief` stem, with onejoint of .drill stem connected thereto, can be picked up clear of therotary table. The rotary is now started and the drill stem is graduallylowered until the bit is somewhat below the casing. The drill stemshould be now elevated slightl and as elevated the extended ends of thelinks 34.- should be depressed so as to carry the jaws 33 intoengagement with the-stem.

The Vswivel swedge will thereby be elevated with the stem. The mechanismfor securing the depth casing on the rotary table is now removed anddrilling againstarted.

While drilling water is being forced under pressure down through thedrill stem and the reaming blades 19 are caused to expand and ream outthe 'bore under the casing so as to permit the casing to descend as thedrilling operation progresses. This operation may 'be continued until itbecomes necessary to add an additional joint to the top of the drillstem and the casing. Whenanother jointmust be added the depth casing1 isagain secured, as before explained,

and t e drill stem is lowered slightl causing the jaws 33' to release.The drlll stem may then be picked up clear of the bottom and the pumpshut o. The locking ring 29 is removed and the swivel swedge casing isuncoupled from the depth casin The grief pipe is detached from the drillstem and an additional joint of casing and stem are made u and attached,as above explained, an drilling continues until the shifting stratum ispassed. The special uipment herein described may then be laid aside andthe drilling continued with the ordinary drill stem and bit in the usualmanner.

f Apparatus of preferred form has been shown and ydescribed for thepurpose of showing one way in whichthis invention may be racticed, butthe inventive thought upon wliich this application is based is broaderthan its illustrative embodiment thereof and no limitations aretherefore intended other than kthose imposed by the appended claims. j

What I claim is 1. In well drilling a paratus, an outer casing adaptedto be let own in a well bore, a drill stem within said casing, asubstan-y tially cylindrical member mounted upon the outer casing, pipegripping means carried by said' cylindrical member and adapted to engagethe drill stem in such manner as to'preyvent a longitudinal movement asbetween said drill stem and outer casing and pipe engaging means carriedby said cylindrical member whereby a rotary movement imparted'to theouter casing may be transmitted to the drill stein.

2. In apparatus adapted to connect-two 'concentric strings of pipes androtatably support same in a well b'ore, a casing adapted to be mountedupon the outer pi e, adjustable grippi'ng members mounte within saidcasing and adapted `to engage the inner pipe in such mannerthat'theouter pipe may be supported upon vthe inner/and adjustable meansmounted in said casing .and

adapted tosoengage the inner pipe'. that a au i rotary movementimparted' to one ofthe strings of pipe may be transmitted to the other.Y j l 3. In apparatus adapted to connect two concentric strings of pipesand rotatably support same in a well bore, a substantially cylindricalmember adapted to be mounted r upon the outer pipe and the interior ofwhich is formed with a flared portion, gripping members adjustablymounted within' said flared portion and adapted to engage the inner pipein such manner that one string of pipe may be supported upon the otherand connecting means mounted in said cylindrical member and adapted toso engage the inner pipe that -a rotary movement may be transmitted fromone string of pipe to the other.

4. In well drilling apparatus adapted to connect two concentric stringsof pipe and rotatably support same in a well bore,l a substantiallycylindrical member adapted to be mounted upon the outer pipe, adjustablellt! pipping members mounted in said cylinical member and adapted toengage the inner pi in such manner as to prevent a longitudinal movementof the pipes with respect to eachother and adjustable gripping meansmounted in said cy indrical member and adapted to transmit a rotarvmovement from one pi e to the other. j

5. In a we drilling apparatus, the combination with two eoncentricallyv.arranged lstrings of pipe of a head designed to iit over and rest uponthe upper end of the outer pipe and wedge-shaped slipsl fitted withinthe head and engaging with the inner pipe to support the outer pipe.

6. In a well drilling a paratus, an outer casing ada ted to be let gowninto the well bore, a dril stem within said casing, a rotary tableprovided with a central opening to receive said casing and stem, anoperative connection between said table and casing, a swivel swedgeconnected to said casing and through which said stem extends, pipe?gripping means carried by said swedge and adapted to engage with saidstem and rotate the same as the casing rotates, adjustable pipe-engagingjaws carried by said vswivel, swedge and provided to engage with thedrill stem to support the casing on the drill stem.

7. In a well drilling apparatus, a casing i adapted to be let down intoa well bore, a

drill stem within the casing, a rotary table adapted to be connected toand rotate said casing, a device for connecting said casing with thedrill stem, whereby the latter is rotated by the former, a couplingconnecting said device to said casing and a locking collar surroundingsaid coupling and attached to said casing and to said device whereby thelatter is prevented from unscrewing from the former while the casing isbeing rotated. l

8. In hydraulic well drilling apparatus adapted to connect twoconcentric strings of pipe and rotatably support same in a well bore, asubstantially cylindrical member adapted to be mounted upon the outerpipe,

within said cylindrical member adapted t0.y

prevent the passage oi-r fluid from the outer pipe.

9. In hydraulic well drilling apparatus adapted to connect two.concentric strings of pipe and rotatably support same in a well bore, asubstantially cylindrical member f adapted to be screwed onto the upperend of the outer string of i e,rad`ustable ri in members mountediJnpsaid bylindril JEiden? ber and adapted to engage the inner lnipe soas to prevent relative longitudinal ,movement as between the outer andinner pipes, adjustable gripping means mounted in said cylindricalmember and adapted to transmit a rotary movement from one pipe to theother and locking means arranged to prevent the cylindrical melnber fromunscrew-V ing when the strings of ipeare rotated.

In testimony whereo I have signed my l0 name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribingwitnesses. Y

LOUIS H. WELLENSIEK.

Witnesses: Y

F. L. PmvY, ROBERT Trimmer.

